Korean memorial represents millions of Americans who fought for their country during the Korean war. It consists of 4 components: a memorial wall, a pool of remembrance, a dedicated wall to the United Nations and 19 lifelike statues. However, it is the lifelike statues that make this memorial stand out among others.
Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated on July 27th, 1995 which is also the anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. It represents the sacrifices made by 5.8 million by serving the US armed forces & the UN partners for the Korean war from 1950 - 1953. The memorial is very well designed with unique symbolism which is explained below:
19 Statues in lifelike size are the first noticeable thing about this memorial. Made of 19 stainless steel, each statue is larger than 20 % from the actual life-size. Each Statue is 7 feet tall and weighs about 1000 pounds. The statues represent a group running into an open ground from a forested area in a wedged shape.
You will find a black polished granite with the outlines and peaks of mountain ranges in the background. This gives an appearance of troops walking in a valley.
The troop consists of 4 main US military branches: 14 from army, 3 marines, 1 Navy medic and 1 Air force forward observer. The inclusion of the air force veteran is noticeable since the Korean war was the first combat that included the air force.
It is easy to recognize the soldiers from their respective statues for those who have studied or have knowledge about the Korean war. The sculptures also represent an ethnic cross-section of the American society: 14 White, 3 African-American, 1 Asian, 2 Hispanic and 1 Native American soldier.
This symbolism is important due to the fact that the Korean war was the first war in which the army troops were not separated on a racial basis due to the order of President Harry Truman.
The troops are dressed in Ponchos. You will also see juniper bushes and granite slabs covering the ground to represent the difficult elements of the war such as weather and the rugged terrain.
You will also see that regardless of where you are standing at the memorial site, the eyes of the statues are following you. This is designed to depict the alert state of the enemy.
There is a low-lying wall on the left side of the path. This wall is known as the UN wall and lists all the 22 United Nations Member states in alphabetical order who contributed to the war. This was the first military action to be resolved by the UN at that time.
There is a pool of remembrance in front of the troops which gives a calming and serene effect to the memorial. You will find inscriptions on the side of the pool listing the number of people killed, went missing, wounded and held as prisoners of war for both the UN and the US. There is a famous inscription along with the pool,” Freedom is not free.” Another inscription at the point of wedge reads, “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met. ”
As you begin to walk down the opposite side of the memorial, you will have the formation of troops on your right and the polished reflecting wall on your left. Walking down the opposite side of the memorial, you will see troops on your right and reflecting wall on your left. In the Mural wall, you will see the reflections of the 19 statues. This is to represent the demilitarized zone when the US got involved in the conflict. The design depicts 19 reflections to increase the count to 38 (19 statues and 19 reflections). This also commemorates the 38th parallel North.
You will also find 2000 real Korean war veteran images etched into the wall. These images represent the diverse structure of the US military such as doctors, chaplains, flight and tank crews, nurses and sailors. These people played a supporting role in the infantry in the frontlines.
Opening Hours
The Korean memorial stays open 24 hours a day. National Park Service rangers are present at the memorial from 9:30 am to 10 pm in the evening daily except 25th December.
Getting to the Memorial
The memorial lies adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Veteran Memorial. There are a number of other memorials situated near it such as:
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
MLK Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
World War 2 Memorial
The best way to get to the memorial is by using Google Map directions. Although it is not situated near a Metro station, you can still get to it through a Metro via free Circulatory Bus which is at a 20-minute walking distance from Foggy Bottom Metro Station.
